Can filling machine



Aug. 29, 1944. T BLAND 2,3565737 CAN FILLING MACHINE Filed Dec. 8, 1941 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 Inventor A Homey,

7 s, d m t n ,U e ....A 6, m 3 S Zm a l 4 VWM f@ .E mm. m www .fw .7 AMa, TB LG. BMG e wmD mm Aug. 29, 1944.

Aug. 29, 1944. T.- w. BLAND CAN FILLING MACHINE .4 shams-sheet 4 Filled Dec'. 8, 1941 III/ Alton/ey Patented Aug. 29, 1944 CAN FILLING MACHINE Thomas Warren Bland, San Jose; Calif., assigner of one-fourth to Roy Elliot Cavins,v San Jose,

Calif.

Application Decemberfi, 1941, SerialNo. 422157 (Cl. 226-102)v 2 Claims.

The present invention relates to can fil-ling machines of a type embodying means for supplying each can with a predetermined quantity of different products or materials and embodies a plurality of hoppers, each adapted to contain a certain type of material and under which the cans are adapted to travel and the invention has for its primary object to provide novel proportionating or measuring valve means to control the discharge of the material from the hoppers into the cans.

It is also an object of the present invention to provide a moving wall for each of the hoppers to prevent clogging of the discharge ports of the hoppers.

A further object is to provide a proportionating or measuring valve device for the hoppers includinga chamber formed by the valve within which a predetermined quantity of the material is adaptedV to be fed from the hoppers before entering the cans and providing fluid pressure means for the chamber to insure a complete emptying of the chamber into the cans. r A still further object is to provide automatic operating means for the valve as well as for the moving wall of the hoppers together with automatic control means for the fluid pressure means, all of which are operated from a common source of power.

A still further object is to provide apparatus of this character of simple and practical construction, which is efficient and reliable in performance, relatively inexpensive to manufacture, and otherwise well adapted for the purposes for which the same is intended.

Other objects and advantages reside in the details of construction and operation as more fully hereinafter described and claimed, reference be- 'ing had to the accompanying drawings forming part hereof, wherein like numerals refer to like parts throughout, and in which- Figure 1 is a side elevational view.

Figure 2 is a fragmentary vertical sectional view through one of the hoppers.

Figure 3 is a vertical sectional view taken substantially on a line 3 3 of Figure 2.

Figure 4 is a sectional view through the drive shaft taken substantially on a line 4-4 of Figure 3.

Figure 5 is a fragmentary top plan View taken substantially on a line 5-5 of Figure 1.

Figure 6 is a perspective view of one of the proportionating valves, and

Figure 7 is a fragmentary sectional view taken substantially on a line 'I-'l of Figure 3.

Referring `now to the drawings in detail wherein for the purposeof illustration I have disclosed a preferred embodiment of the invention,V the numeral 5 designates a frame supported on legs 6V with transverse shafts and 8 journaled at the opposite ends of the frame for operating an endless conveyor belt 9 by means of a pulley I'lland drive belt `l operated by an electric motor |2 supported on a bracket I 3 at one end of the frame. At the opposite end of the frame is a can feed chute I4 for feeding the cans l5 onto the conveyor belt.

Rising from the frame 5, at each corner thereof,

are upstanding rods I6 threaded as at |'I at their upper ends, each of the rods having nuts I8 threaded thereon and between which are positioned the arms I9 for vertical'adjustment on the rods, the arms I9 being secured at the opposite side edges of a battery of hoppers 20 which are suspended above the conveyor 9; The hoppers are adjustable vertically in accordance with the size` of cans to be filled from the hoppers.

The bottom of each hopper includes a dis` charge spout 2|, the walls of which are provided with shoulders 22 forming a guide for a slidable proportionating or measuring valve 23 shown in detail in Figure 6 of the drawings. The-valve is of substantially U-shape and includes an vupper valve plate 24 and lower valve plate 25 each having offset discharge openings 26 and 2l,` respec-v tively, formed therein. The plates 24 and 25 are connected by a side plate 28 to which one end of a horizontal rod 29 is attached, the rod extending laterally outwardly through a slot 30 in the/side wall of the hopper 20.

The upper and lower valve plates 24 and 25 cooperate with the walls of thedischarge spout 2| lof the hopper to form a chamber 3| into which the material from the hopper is adapted to be admitted through the opening 26 of the upper valve plate, while the opening 2'I of the lower valve plate is in a closed position with respect to the discharge spout 2| of the hopper. Accordingly, a Vpredetermined quantity of material is adapted to be admitted to the chamber 3| and when the valve is actuated the opening 26 of the upper plate 24 will be closed, while the opening 2'| of the lower plate 25 will be open for discharging the contents of the chamber 3| into the cans l5. Accordingly, as the cans travel beneath the respective hoppers, a predetermined quantity of the material from each hopper will be emptied into the cans. Y

The valves of the respective hoppers are arranged for simultaneous actuation by means of a yoke 32 formed at one end of an arm 33, the other end of said 'arm being connected to the lower end of a link 34 which has its upper end formed with an eye 35 for mounting on a horizontal longitudinally extending rod 36 slidably mounted in guides 31 supported on the upper ends of brackets 38 carried by the frame 5, the guides 31 being adjustable vertically in slots 38' in the brackets. At intervals the rod 36 is threaded as shown at 39 for threadedly receiving nuts 40 between which the eyes 35 are positioned for adjusting the links 34 relative to the rod. To one end of the rod 36 is attached a pitman 4l connected eccentrically to a disk 42 formed at one end of a shaft 43 journaled in a bracket 44 on one of the posts I6, the other end of the shaft 43 having a bevel gear 45 formed thereon engaged by a similar gear 46 carried at the upper end of a telescoping shaft 41. The lower end of the shaft 41 is provided with a bevel gear 48 operated by a similar gear 49 from the shaft 8 whereby to reciprocaloly actuate the rod 36 through the belt and pulley Il] and Il which is driven by the motor l2 as heretofore eX- plained.

Mounted in o-ne of the stationary walls of the chamber 3| is a pipe 50 having discharge orices| formed therein, the pipe preferably conforming to the contour of the chamber 3l, when the valve`23 is in position as shown by the full lines in Figure 2 of the drawings, and the pipe is connected to a fluid pressure supply line 52 having a control valve 53 mounted therein, the pipe 52 leading to a suitable source of steam or air pressure. The pipe 50 is iree of the valve 23 and remains stationary while the valve is free to slide into the dotted line position as shown in Figure 2.

One of the pipes 5U and valves 53 are provided for each of the hoppers, as shown in Figure 1 of the drawings, and each valve is provided with a control handle 54 attached at an intermediate point of the arm 33 for opening and closing of the valve upon the reciprocating actuation of the rod 36.

Each' hopper is provided with a movable wall 55 which is curved from the upper edge of the hopper toward the discharge spout, as shown to advantage in Figure 2 oi the drawings, so that the lower end of the wall55 is adapted to move in a direction toward the discharge spout to prevent clogging of the material in the hopper. Attached to the Vwall 55 is a rod 56 extending laterally outwardly of thehopper through a slot 51, the outer end of the rod 56 being attached at an intermediate point of the link 34, whereby it will be appreciated that the wall 55 is also actuated upon the reciprocation of the rod 36.

Accordingly in the operation of the device when the proportionating and measuring valve is positioned with the opening 26 of the upper plate 24 in registery With -the discharge spout of the hopper, the chamber 3| will be filled with the material and upon actuation of the valve the opening 26 will be closed and the opening 21 moved into position for discharging the contents of the chamber 3l into the cans. Simultaneously uid under pressure is discharged from the pipe 50 for completely evacuating the contents of the chamber 3l.

It is believed the details of construction, advantages and manner of operation of the device will be readily understood from the foregoing without further detailed explanation.

Having thus described the invention what I claim is:

1. A can filling machine comprising a frame having a conveyor operatively mounted thereon, posts rising from the frame, a hopper having a discharge spout, supports securing the hopper on the posts for vertical adjustment of the spout relative to a can positioned on the conveyor, a

f proportionating valve mounted in the spout for horizontal sliding movement to control discharge of materialvfrom the hopper, a fluid pressure supply pipe communicating with the valve, a fluid control valve in the pipe, a wall mounted for horizontal sliding movement in the hopper,

a reciprocable member, and means connectingy the proportionating valve and the fluid control valve, as well as the movable wall to said reciprocable member for actuation by said member.

2. A can iilling machine comprising a frame having a conveyor operatively mounted thereon, posts rising from the frame, a hopper having a discharge spout positioned above the conveyor, supports securing the hopper on the posts for vertical adjustment of the spout relative to a can positioned on the conveyor, a proportionating valve mounted in the spout for horizontal sliding movement to control discharge of material from the hopper, a fluidrpressure supply pipe having a discharge end terminating in the valve, a iiuid control valve in the pipe having a control handle, said hopper having a horizontally movable wall, a horizontally reciprocable member at one side of the hopper, a rigid link extending vertically from said member and connected to said movable wall, and an arm connecting said proportionating valve and said fluid valve control handle to said link for simultaneously operating said valves into their open and closed positions and also for actuating said movable wall.

THOMAS WARREN BLAND. 

